Can-labeling machine



NOV. 17,

M. FEYBUSCH ET AL CAN LABELIim MACHINE Filed Sept. 19. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS gfl/FT/A/ FE YBUSCI/ Ill/L m FLE/SCl/El? M. FEYBUSCH ET AL NOV. 17, 1925' CAN LABELING MACHINE ATTORNEYS Nov. 17

M. FEYBUSCH ET AL CAN LABELING MACHINE Filed Sept. 19, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 w. w 'T' q A TTORNEYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 NCV. 1711925- M. FEYBUSCH ET AL CAN LABELING MACHINE Filed Sept. 19, 1922 A TTORNEYS Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,561,600 PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN FEYBUSCH, OF NEW YORK. N. Y AND PAUL W.

FLIEISCI-IER, OF \VLEHAWKEN,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO NEVJ JERSEY MACHINE CORPORATION, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CAN-LABELING MACHINE.

Application filed September 19, 1922. Serial No. 583,079.

To (:7! lI/I()HL it may concern.

Be it known that we, MARTIN FnYnUscr-I, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county. and State of New York, and PAUL lV. l m-tiscnnn, a citizen of the United States. and resident of Veehawken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have jointly invented certain new and use- 10 ful Improvements in Uan-laibeling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for labeling cans and the like, and one of its objects is to so improve the construction of such a machine as to obtain increased efficiency during operation: a further object is to render certain parts of the machine easily removable and all parts readily ac- 20, cessihle. These and other objects and the 'a-:iva1itages of our invention will appear fully from the description following hereinafter. and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In machines of this character as constructed heretofore. considerable difficulty has been experienced in keeping the glue applied to the labels by means of a gumming roll. from accumulating on certain stripper elements which are employed to direct the gunnned lahcls away from such roll. In the machine illustrated by the accompanying drawings. we have shown one way of overcoming this difficulty by means of rings entering grooves of the gumming roll and mounted on a second roll which supplies or transfers the a .lhesi.ve from a pan or other suitable source, to said gumming roll; this feature. however, 1s not claimed herein. but is included in a separate application filed by us in the United States Patent Oflice on September 19 1922, Serial No. 589.070. Another drawback of machines employed hitherto for the purpose indicated, is their lack of flexibility. that is tosav. each machine was adapted to label cans of only one size, or at most only two different sizes, as in the case of United States Letters Patent No. 1,236,074 granted to one of us. Martin Feybusch, on August 7. 1917. While these. earlier machines will perform their work satisfactorily on cans of the size (or the two sizes) for which they are built, a manufacturer using cans of many different sizes will require a relatively large number of labeling machines of said old type, and one of the objects of our present invention is to enable the same machine to be used for labeling cans of any diameter between an upper and a lower limit.

Another feature of our invention relates to means for adjusting or Varying the pressure with which the cans are urged against the can-simporting rollers, so that this pres sure may be suited to the weight of the particular cans under treatment, and this is a provision not found in machines as constructed prior to our present invention.

Furthermore, we have improved the machine so as to take into account not only the dili'erence in the diameter of the cans treated, butalso the variations in the length or height of said cans, the new machines having; adjustable members for properly holding and guiding cans of any diameter or height between the two extreme limits of adjustment.

Still another feature of -our present invention relates to overcomingthe difficulty which arises in earlier machines owing to the tendency of the glue to harden on the supply roll and on other parts of the ma chine. whenever the operation is interrapt-ed; such hardened glue interferes with the proper operation of the machine when it is started again. To prevent the glue from thus hardening, we have provided improved means for establishing or interrupting the operative relation between the glue pan or glue fountain and the transfer or supply roll dipping into said pan during the normal operation; and we have also provided novel means enabling water or other liquid tp be supplied to said transfer roll for the purpose of cleaning it and the gumming roll and other parts engaging the transfer roll.

lVithout desiring to restrict ourselves to the exact details shown. we have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a machine en'ibodying our invention.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away: Fig. 2 is a plan view, with parts in section; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, with parts in section on line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, shown on a somewhat enlarged scale; and Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged detail views of certain machine parts, Fig. 5 illustrating part of a can-pressure device, Fig. 6 part of a can-guiding device, and Fig. 7 a portion of a clutch mechanism.

The machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a base plate 10 on which are mounted two parallel frames 11, 12 carrying between them, on rods 13, 14, a label support or table consisting of two flanged guides 15 and one or more supporting strips 16. The side guides 15 are carried on brackets 17 slidable on the rods 13, 14 to vary the distance between the two side guides, and the brackets are held in any adjusted position by set screws 18 engaging the rod 13. The intermediate strip or strips 16 are carried on brackets 19 having at one end an open horizontal slot 20 for engagement with the rod 14 and at the other end an open vertical slot 21 for engagement with the rod 13, a set screw 22 holding the'brackets 19 tightly on the rods 13, 14, but allowing them to be readily shifted sideways or removed if desired, (Fig. 4).

From the table just described the labels are fed one by one, say by hand, to feed .rollers 23, 24, one of which 23, is mounted in the frames 11, 12 and is rotated in the manner described below, while the roller 24 rests loosely on top of the roller 23 and is rotated by frictional contact therewith. The reduced ends of the roller 24 are freed to move up and down,.but are held agalnst lateral movement in slots 25 provided in brackets 26 carrying a pressure-adjusting guide or tension plate 27 cooperating with a gumming or glue applying roll 28 rotatablv mounted in the frames 11, 12. The brackets 26 have open slots fitting over the shaft 29 of the gumming roll 28 and they are adjustable toward and from said shaft by means of adjusting screws 30 hearing against the shaft 29. At their other ends the brackets 26 rest loosely on lugs 31 pro jeeting inwardly from the frames 11, 12. By turning the screws 30, the distance between the roll 28 and the guide-plate 27 can be varied as desired or as may be required by the thickness or stiffness of the labels fed into contact with the gumming roll 28 by the feed rollers 23, 24.

Arranged underneath the glue-applying roll 28 is a glue-receiving roll 32 supported rotatably in bearing arms 33 fulcrumed on a shaft 34 carried by the frames 11, 12. The arms are pressed upwardly, thus holding the two rolls 28, 32 against each other, by springs 35 (Fig. 1) engaging plungers 36 bearing against the lower ends of set screws 37 screwed into the arms The pressure between the two rolls may be varied to regulate the thickness of the film of glue transmitted from the roll 32 to the roll 28, by turning the screws 37, lock nuts 38 preventing accidental turning of the screws. The

roll 32 receives a coating of glue from a glue pan 39 in which it revolves. To prevent the glue from sticking to the ends of the two grunming rolls, and hardening thereon, we have provided scrapers 40, 41 respectively which scrape such glue from the ends of the- The scrapers 40, 41 are carried by arms 42 secured to a transverse bar 43-extending between the frames 11, 12.

Mounted in the frames 11, 12, above the guniniing roll 28, is a knurled roller 44 which together with another knurled roller 45 serves to support and rotate a can C to which the label L is to be applied. The roller 45 is mounted in brackets 46, 47 fulerumed on a transverse rod 48 secured to the frames 11, 12. By this arrangement the knurled roller 45 can be swung toward and from the roller 44, that is, the distance between the two rollers may be altered to accommodate cans of different diameters. The roller 45 is held in any adjusted position by means of a clamp nut 49 cooperating with a screw 50 tapped into the frame 11 and extending through a curved slot 51 provided in the bracket 46. It will be noted that both can-supporting andfeeding rollers 44 and 45 are on the same side of the label-feeding rollers'23, 24 (on the left thereof in Fig. 4) so that whatever may be the size of the cans C, they will not interfere with ready access to the labelfeed rollers 23, 24 and to the label-supplying table 15, 16 which is located on the other side of said rollers 23, 24 (on the right in Fig. 4). i

The glue-applying roll 28 is provided in its cylindrical surface with a number of evenly-spaced circumferential grooves 52 into which extend the pointed ends of takeoff orstripper fingers which have a curved guiding surface and serve to take the label off the roll 28 and guide it into contact with the can G, at a point where the latter is engaged by the feed roller 44. The fingers 53 are carried by a rod 54 supported in brackets 05 and held. thereon by means of nuts 56, the fingers being suitably spaced by spacing sleeves 57. At their rear ends, the fingers 53 are provided with notches 58 through which extends a rod 59 the ends of which are also secured to the brackets 55. The rod 54 extends through the brackets with a certain amount of looseness which permits a slight adjustment of the fingers, either lengthwise or up-and-down, the

notches 53 allowing su'ch adjustment. The

brackets are secured to a rod 60 held in open slots 61 of the frames 11, 12 by the conical ends of set screws 62, this arrange ment permitting an easy withdrawal of the rod 60, brackets and take-oil members 52. Through the brackets 55 are screwed, at a distance from the rod 60, screws 63 hearing with their lower ends against the bar 48; turning of the screws will swing the structure comprising the brackets 55 and fingers 53 about the rod as a pivot, thus providing a ready up-and-down adjustment of the fingers 53 with respect to the gumming roll 28.. Loclcnuts 64 prevent accidental turning of the screws 63.

In order to hold the can O in'proper contact with the rollers 44, 45, we have provided the following can-pressure "device, illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, and 5. To upward extensions 11, 12' of the ,framesll, 12 are secured arms 65; while these arms are mounted pivotally on screw bolts 66 for the purpose of changing their position, they are normally held against turning by means of clamp nuts 67 provided with suitable handles. At their upper ends the arms 65 carry rigidly a rod 68 on which are mounted brackets 69 capable of lengthwise as well as rotary movement on said rod, but held thereon rigidly, after adjustment, by thumb screws 70. The brackets 69 have oft-set ends forming open-top forks 71 for the reception of rods 72 extending with their rear portions through sleeves 73 swiveled on the rod 68, between the brackets 69, and

held in any adjusted position on said sleeves by thumb screws 74. The rods 72 carry at their other ends rollers 75 adapted to engage, during the operation of the machine, the cylindrical surface of the can C so as to press the latter into close contact with the knurled feeding rollers 44, 45; weights 76 may be used, if desired, to increase the pressure of the rollers 75 on the can. .The

brackets 69, 71 are so adjusted on the rod 68 that when the rollers 75 are in engagement with a can, the rods 7 2 are out of engagement with the forks 71 (see Fig. 1).

To properly position the can C on the rollers 44, 45, we provide rods 77 having can-engaging rounded heads 78 facing each other, said rods being adjustable lengthwise of their axes in sleeves 7 9 formed on arms 80 held on the frame extensions 11', 12' respectively by bolts 81 and clamp nuts 82. In addition to a pivotal movement on the bolts 81, the arms 80 are also capable of a lengthwise movement, owing to the provision of slots 83 through which the bolts 81 extend. While one ofthe can-cngaging heads 78 is rigid on its rod 77, the other head 'is mounted 'yieldingly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, a spring 84 urging said head outwardly. The two rods 77 are held in 'ing anyadjusted position in the sleeves 79 by means of thumb nuts 85. The various adjustments just mentioned allow the canguiding or gauging device to be used for ,cans of different widths as well as of (litterpoint of contact or nearest approach of the two rolls. The glue will thus not be communicated to the upper roll at the grooves, and the latter will remain practically free from glue.

The glue pan 39 can be brought into and out of operative relation to the roll 32 in the following manner (Figs. 1, 3 and 4): On the inside of the two frames 11, 12 are provided inclined guides 87, 88 into which extend projections 89, 90 respectively, formart of a pan-support or tray 91 on whic 1 the pan 39 rests, ridges 92 preventing lateral movement of the pan, while the pan is free to move lengthwise of the sup port 91. The guides 87, 88 are closed at their lower ends and open at their upper ends. Adjacent to these upper ends the guides 87, 88 are provided with depressions 87, 88'-respectively, for the reception of the tray projections 89, 90 when the tray 91 is in its uppermost position, with the pan 39 in operative relation to the gumming roll 32. Intermediate between theiruppcr and lower ends, the inclined tracks 87, 88 are formed with short horizontal portions provided with depressions 87, 88" similar to the depresions 87, 88, for holding the tray or support 91 in an intermediate position; when in its lowermost position, the tray rests in the lower ends of the tracks 87, 88. At its inner end the glue pan 39 is pro vided with laterally-projecting lugs 93 adapted to cooperate with lugs 94, projecting inwardly from the frames 11, 12.

Vhen it is desired to place the glue pan 39 into operative relation to the roll 32 (Fig.4),the tray 91 is first brought to its lowermost position unless it is in such posi tion already. Then the pan 39 is placed on the tray and shoved in on the same until its lugs 93 abut against the frame lugs 94 which form stops for such inward movement of the glue pan (Fig. 1). The lugs 95 are located higher than the lugs 94, so that the lugs 95 are cleared by the lugs 93 on the pan during the inward movement of the latter. Thereupon the tray 91 is moved inward and upward in the tracks 87 88 until it comes to rest in the depressions S7, 88, stops .96 formed at the upper end of the tracks 88 preventing further sliding movement of the tray. This inward and upward movement of the pan support or tray 91 lifts the pan 39 in an upward direction (the lugs 93 entering between the lugs 91, 95) until with the stopping of the tray 91 the pan 39 is in such a position that the roll 32 dips into the glue contained in the. pan. The intermediate position of the tray 91 (in engagement with the depressions 87", 88") serves the following purpose: \Vhen the machine is to be stopped for a longer or shorter period. the tray 91 together with the pan 39 is first brought to its lowermost position (Fig. 1). Then a pan 97 containing hot water is placed on top of the glue pan 39 and shoved inward to a position under the roll 32. 'lhereupon the tray 91 is moved upward until its projections 89, 90 engage the interi'nediate depressions 87", 88", this movement raising the pans 39 and 97 until the latter is in a position in which the roll 32 dips into the hot water. If then the machine is allowed. to run for a short while, the hot water will remove not only the glue adhering to the roll 32, but to the roll 28 as well, the latter rotating in contact with the roll 32. V0 have thus provided a simple but very effectual manner of cleaning the gumming rolls 28 and S2.

The various feeding rollers and gununing rolls may be driven in the following manner: On the base plate 10'is arranged an electric motor 98 which drives by means of a belt 99 a pulley 100 on the shaft 34. The latter carries, rigidly, a pinion 101 in mesh with a gear 102 on the lower label-feeding roller 23 (thus driving such roller); this roller also carries a pinion 103 in mesh with an idler 104 engaging a gear 105 on the shaft 29 of the upper gumming roll 28, thus driving the latter. The lower gumming roll 32 is driven from the shaft of the upper roll by a gear 106 meshing with the gear 105. To the gear 105 is secured as by screws 107, a gear 108 in mesh with a pinion 109 on the can-feeding or supporting roller 44, thus driving this roller. The gear 108 also meshes with an idler 110 rotating loosely on the bar 48 and held thereon by a collar 111, this idler meshing with a pinion 112 on the bracket 47. The pinion 112 is in mesh with a pinion 113 on the can-feed roller the latter is thus driven in the same direction as the can-feed roller 44. The ratio of gearing, however, is such that the roller 45 is driven at a greater speed than the roller 44, so that the roller 44 will have a brushing or wiping effect on the label which has been applied to the can. The pinion 112 will remain in mesh with the idler 110 in any of the positions to which the feed roller 45 may be adjusted, since the I brackets 46, 47 (the latter of which carries the pinion 112) are mounted to swing about the axis of the pinion110.

The pulley 100 is loose on the shaft 34 and i is adapted to be connected thereto by means of a clutch 114, 115 one member of which is rigid with the pulley, while the other clutch member is rigid with the shaft 34. The shifting of the pulley into operative position is accomplished by means of a fork 110 mounted on a clutch shifting rod 117 provided, at the other side of the machine, with a knob 118. A spring-pressed locking member 119 engaging depressions 120 on the rod 117 serves to hold the rod 117 and thereby the pulley 100 in one or the other of its two positions. The clutch member 115 is provided with a knob or hand wheel 121 by means of which the main shaft 34 may be turned by hand if desired.

The operation of the machine is briefly described as follows: After the glue pan 39- has been placed into operative relation with respect to the gunnning roll (position shown in Fig. 4). the machine is started and a can placed on the rollers 44, 45 which will rotate such can in a contra-clockwise direction. One of the labels on the table, 15, 16 is then fed by hand to the labelfeeding rollers 23, 24 which will feed it against the upper gumming roll 28 which latter is covered with a film of glue received from the lower gumming roll 32. he roll 28 rotates contra-clockwise and takes the label along, the lower curved portion of the tension plate 27 bending the label and pressing it toward the gumming roll 28, which latter thus provides the label with a coating of glue. The gummed label is then taken off the roll 28 by the fingers 53 and guided by the curved portions on these fingers into contact with the can G at a point where such can is engaged by the roller 44. The label will now continue to be fed by the roller 44, in contact with the can surface, and since the roller 45 has a greater surface speed than the roller 44, the label will be applied to the can with a brushing or wiping action exerted by the roller 44. After the label has been entirely pasted on the can. the latter is removed from the machine and the operation repeated with a new can-and a new .label.

1. A can labeling machine comprising means for feeding a label, means for applying an adhesive to said label, a pair ofcanrotating rollers, and means for engaging the can from above and pressing it into firm contact with said can-rotating rollers, said means comprising a. pair of can engaging rollers, said last-named rollers being adjustable toward and from each other and also toward and from said can-rotating rollers.

2. A can labeling machine comprising means for feeding a label, means for applying an adhesive to said label, a pair of canrotating rollers, and rods for engaging the can from both sides, so as to properly position it on said rollers, said rods being adjustable toward and from each other and also toward and from said can-rotating rollers.

3. A can labeling machine comprising means for feeding a label, means for applying an adhesive to said label, a pair of canrotating rollers, and rods for engaging the can from both sides, so as to properly position it on said rollers, said rods being adjustable toward and from each other and also toward and from said can-rotating rollers, one of said rods having a can-engaging portion yieldablc in the direction of the rods axis.

4. A sheet-gumming machine comprising a gumming roll, a glue pan, and a support movable up and down to bring said glue pan into or out of operative relation to said gumming roll, and means with which said support is engaged to hold 1t 1n any one ot a plurality of adjusted positions. 0

5. A sheet-gumming machine comprising a gumming roll, a glue pan, a support movable up and down to bring said glue pan intoor out of operative relation to sa1d gumming roll, a stationary track for guiding said support in its up and down movement, said track being provided with a plurality of recessed. portions to hold said support in an upper, a lower or an intermediate position.

6. A sheet-gumming machlne comprising a gumming roll, a glue pan, a support movable up and down to bring said glue pan into or out of operative relation to said gumming roll, and a stationary inclined track 'for guiding said support in its up and down movement, said track having portions for holding said support in its upper and lower positions and in an lntermediate position.

7. A sheet-gummmg machine comprlslng a gumming roll, a glue pan, a support movableup and down to bring said glue pan' said support in its up and down movement in an inclined direction, and means for compelling said pan to move in a straight up and down direction during the movement of said support in an inclined direction.

8. A can labeling machine including lower rollers on which the cans are adapted to rest, an upper roller adapted to engage said cans from above and press them toward said lower rollers, a pivoted arm carrying said upper roller, and a weight adjustable on said arm toward and from the fulcrum thereof.

9. A can labeling machine including lower rollers on which the cans are adapted to rest, and a plurality of means for engaging said cans from above and pressing them toward said rollers, said means being adjustable to different distances from each other.

10. A can labeling machine comprising means for feeding a label, a pair of canrotating rollers, a pivotally mounted arm and means mounted uponsaid arm and adjustable longitudinally thereof for engaging the can from above and pressing it into firm contact with said can rotating rollers.

. 11. A can labeling machine comprising means for feeding a label, means for applying an adhesive to said label, a pair of canrotating rollers, one of said rollers being mounted adjustably toward and from the other roller, means for clamping said adjustable roller in any position between its two extreme positions, and means comprising a pivotally' mounted arm having a can engaging roll adjustable longitudinally thereof for engaging the can from above and pressing it into firm contact with said can rotating means. i

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification.

MARTIN FEYBUSCH. PAUL W. FLEISGHER. 

